Sayings of the Holy Fathers:

From The Desert Fathers:


"An anchorite was living close to a monastery, and let a very austere life. Now it happened that some visitors came to the monastery and constrained him to eat outside the proper time. Afterwards the brothers said to him, 'Abba, were you not grieved by that?' He said to them, 'I am grieved only when I do my own will.' "

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"An old man practised the ascesis of not drinking for forty days, and if by chance it happened to be hot, he rinsed his jug, filled it with water and hung it in front of him. Questioned by a brother as to the reason for his doing this, he replied, 'It is so that my thirst may cause me greater pain, so that I may receive a greater reward from God.'"

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"One day the priest of Scetis went to blessed Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and when he returned to Scetis the brothers asked him, 'What is the city like?' He said to them, 'Indeed, brothers, I did not see anyone there except the Archbishop.' On learning this they were troubled, saying, 'Then has everyone been destroyed, abba?' He said to them, 'No, but the temptation to look at anyone did not overcome me.' On hearing this they were full of admiration and from this saying they drew strength to guard their eyes from wandering."